Sokka The Sabertooth Of The South
by FanfictionFan94
Summary: One event can change everything. On the day that the Southern Water Tribe was attacked, Sokka was the one who went to get their mother instead of Katara, and thus died to save his mother instead of running away to get their father. However a spirit noticed his actions and had decided to save him and bless him at the same time, forever altering both himself and his destiny.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Prelude To Change

It was just another ordinary day in the Southern Water Tribe, the men were training and preparing their gear for the next hunt to provide food for the tribe, the women were doing the domestic duties keeping the tribe and the families running smoothly, and the children were running around and having fun playing in the snow. Two children in particular were having a snowball fight when all of a sudden the peace was broken. "Black snow?" the little girl with light caramel colored skin, deep blue eyes, and rich brown hair asked? The boy she was playing with was her brother looked up with shock showing in his sky blue eyes "No, that means... Katara! Go quickly run to the shelters! I'm going to go get mom and meet you there shortly. Hurry!" the young boy said urgently.

The words and tone of his voice that came from the boy startled Katara causing her to instead tilt her head in confusion and ask, "Sokka, what's wrong? Why do i need to go to the shelters? I mean yes the snow is weird and it smells but it's just snow... right?" Annoyed, Sokka growled in frustration and started to push his sister towards the shelters while saying "There is no time for this Katara! This isn't snow but soot from Fire Nation Ships! Now stop asking questions and HURRY TO THE SHELTERS ALREADY!". Before Katara could even react to what Sokka was saying a large metal ship sporting red flags came out of the nowhere and armored men started to rapidly exit the ship while shooting fire from their hands and feet, causing the village to go into chaos from the battles that were now occurring inside the village.

Scared now, Katara hurriedly bolts towards the shelters without another word while Sokka freezes for a second before also bolting, however instead of heading towards the shelters after Katara, he instead bolts towards the chaos, more specifically towards his house to help get his injured mother to the shelter since she cannot walk very well on her own do to an injury she received the other day with a rampaging sled dog that had to be put down which almost crippled her. Running through the chaos, all Sokka could think about was 'I've got to get to mom quickly and bring her to the shelters before anything happens to her!'. Finally after what felt like forever to the young boy, he finally made it to his home and quickly entered only to freeze upon seeing one of the invading armored men standing over his injured mother getting ready to kill her.

"No!" Sokka screams and instinctively threw the snowball that was still in his hand from when he was playing with his younger sister Katara at the man to gather his attention away from his mother, hitting him in the helmet with surprising strength, enough to knock the helmet off of the man's head and imbed itself in the walls. "What?!" the man said and instantly whirled around to see where the snowball had come from, only to be shocked when he sees a young boy with rich brown hair, light caramel colored skin, and sky blue eyes glaring at him from the doorway to the igloo they were in. "Stay away from my mother!" Sokka screamed. "No Sokka! Get out of here" Sokka's mother Kya, who looked like an adult version of Katara, screamed. "Do as your mother says little boy. We are only here to kill the last waterbender" the man said coldly.

Sokka was shocked 'He must mean Katara! But then why is he going to kill mom? Unless... NO! She must've told him that she was the last waterbender here! I won't let him kill mom! But how do I get him to leave without ratting out Katara instead?' were the thoughts running through Sokka's head, 'Maybe I could somehow convince him to think that I'm the last waterbender somehow and he will kill me instead of mom or Katara! But I don't want to die... NO! Now is not the time to think only do! I'm the first born and it is my duty to protect my family no matter the cost! I'm sorry mom, dad, Katara it looks like I won't be able to be with you guys anymore.' Sokka thought sadly, before quickly gathering two more snowballs and throwing them even harder and faster than the first one he threw at the man, knocking the man off his feet and throwing him so hard into the wall from the force that the room shook since the man turned his back to Sokka and was once more about to kill his mother.

"What the hell?! You little brat!" The man roared. Sokka just stood bravely in front of his mother and said "If you want to kill the last waterbender, then you are looking at him you bastard so come and get me!" "With pleasure you little shit." said the main right before he sent out a blast of fire towards Sokka's head which he ducked by rolling forward and uppercutted the man in his privates causing him to curl up into himself before being sent flying into the ceiling, however before Sokka could take advantage of the situation, the man quickly recovered and shot fire from his feet, badly burning Sokka and causing him to scream. "You little bastard! I will kill you!" the man roared before sending one more blast of fire even more powerful than the previous one that caused Sokka to fly into the nearby wall and almost through it, screaming the entire time before he stopped moving.

"NOOOOOOO! SOOOOKKKAAAAA! YOU MONSTER HOW COULD YOU?! HE WAS JUST A LITTLE BOY!" Kya screamed and sobbed at the man but he just looked on with a sick self-satisfied grin on his face before saying, "Good riddance", and then walked out of the igloo into the chaos outside before shouting "MEN RETREAT! I HAVE KILLED THE LAST OF THE WATERBENDERS HERE!" Everybody instantly stopped before the men saluted and quickly ran back to the ship, with the Southern Water Tribe Warriors following them, even more bloodthirsty now that a member of their tribe has been killed before they were blasted back by the firebenders by shooting low heat fire to blast them back. Soon the men boarded their ship and sailed away, leaving an angry and broken village behind.

However unbeknownst to them all, was a large, very powerful, and very old animal spirit of a Saber Tooth Tiger watching them all as the battle occurred, in particular the brave little boy who died to protect his mother, Sokka, and nodded before saying "He will do nicely" before fading away from sight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Rise Of The Sabertooth

It has been an hour since the Fire Nation attacked the Southern Water Tribe and the majority of the villagers were angry, sad, and relieved. They were angry that they were attacked and one of their own was killed, sad that the one who was killed was a child and their homes destroyed, and relieved that with the exception of Sokka being killed, nobody else was seriously injured or killed. However four people of the tribe were taking it considerably harder than the rest, these four villagers were Sokka's family, his mother Kya, his little sister Katara, his father and Chieftain of the tribe Hakoda, and his grandmother and Tribe Elder Kanna also known to all as Gran-Gran. They could be found in their remarkably still intact home, grieving over Sokka's death and the unfairness of it all, Kya and Katara in particular were taking it by far the hardest and were clinging to his prone severely burnt form and crying there eyes out.

"Sokka, wake up! This isn't funny, get up... please get up... please." Katara cried into Sokka's blackened chest, hugging Sokka's body close crying nonstop, repeating her words over and over again for the past hour since seeing Sokka's corpse, her family not having the heart to pull her away from him to prepare his body for the Warrior's Cremation he was going to be given later that night for dying in battle while defending his family and tribe. "I'm sorry my brave little warrior, so sorry, it should have been me who died, not you, never you. Why couldn't you have just run away to get help like most children would? But you never were like the other children were you my precious brave little warrior? I'm sorry, so, so sorry." Kya sobbed quietly into Sokka's now bald head, his hair having been burnt off.

Across the room, an old gray haired woman with sky blue eyes and a darker shade of light caramel skin than the rest of her family silently looked on while quietly crying herself from the pain of losing yet another one of her loved ones in her long life. "Oh Sokka, you were so young, far too young, yet you always had a warrior's spirit my boy, and died a warrior's death, just like your granpappy." Gran-Gran chuckled mirthlessly before saddly looking away from her dead grandson and instead at her son-in-law Hakoda, an average sized man with a muscular build, sky blue eyes, rich brown hair, and light caramel colored skin only a shade darker than Gran-Gran's.

Hakoda was staring sightlessly at the wall in front of him, lost in his thoughts, anger, and grief, 'ENOUGH! The Fire Nation has gone TOO FAR this time. I was willing to not get our tribe involved in this war, to just let things continue on as they have been for the past few decades, BUT THEY ATTACKED US AND KILLED MY SON! Well NOT ANYMORE! Tonight after Sokka's Warrior's Cremation, I will announce to the tribe that the Men and I will be going to the Earth Kingdom to aid them in repelling the Fire Nation from their lands. But that can wait until later..., first I have to get the others to help me start preparing Sokka for his cremation'.

Finally after what seemed like forever of silent grief with the exception of Kya and Katara speaking softly to Sokka in loving grief stricked tones, Hakoda gathered himself and turned his attention back to his family. Taking a deep breath, he looked sadly at his grieving wife and daughter and said softly "Kya, Katara, we need to start preparing Sokka's body for his Warrior's Cremation tonight, so please outside so Gran-Gran and I can clean him up and dress him in the tribe's ceremonial warrior's outfit." Startled, both Kya and Katara looked up towards Hakoda looking like they wanted to protest but stopped themselves and nodded their heads slightly "Ok dear, come here Katara." Kya said softly with tears still trickling softly down her cheeks before gently grabbing Katara's hand and leading her outside the room. As soon as they left Kanna and Hakoda shared a brief sad glance before slowly and gently going about their task, neither saying another word the entire time.

Meanwhile in the spirit Realm, Sokka has been watching over his family ever since he woke up and got over the fact he died and was now a spirit, and was happy they were alright but sad that his death is causing them so much pain. "So this is what death is like it huh?" Sokka said sadly. "Yes and no cub" said a deep and gravely yet regal voice from behind Sokka, startling him and causing him to whip around and enter a defense stance his father had taught him only to freeze at the sight of a massive Saber Tooth Tiger animal spirit easily larger than the huge Lion Seal that his father and the other warriors had managed to kill last year. "Wh-Who a-are you a-an-and what do you want with me?" Sokka said at first quietly while stuttering before gathering his courage mid-sentence and finishing strongly while looking the massive white furred and black eyed Saber Tooth Tiger in the eyes.

The massive Saber Tooth Tiger just calmly stood there looking deeply into Sokka's eyes, looking into his soul and evaluating him, and nodding slightly in a show of approval before speaking "My name cub, is White Shadow, I am a Greater Animal Spirit of old, and I have a proposition for you." Intrigued Sokka got out of his stance but didn't lower his guard and spoke carefully "What kind of proposition?" "Simply put cub, the world has forgotton about me with the extinction of the mortal Saber Tooth Tigers on your planet, and I cannot have that. So I want you to spread my name around the world, get them to remember me, respect and fear me once more. And in exchange I shall bring you back to life, heal all your wounds, and give you my blessing." White Shadow said matter-of-factly and straight to the point, catching Sokka by suprise and causing him to drop his guard entirely. "WHAT?! You can do that? I don't believe you, and even if you could do that why me, how would I do that, and what would your blessing entale?" Sokka said speaking rapidly, his face and voice revealing his shock, disbelief, and hope for White Shadow to see clearly.

White Shadow just snorted and shook his head before saying "I am a Greater Animal Spirit of Old with power few spirits can match while being over 10 millenia old, cub, There is very little that I cannot do. My blessing would entale you gaining the physical abilities, senses, and regeneration ability of a Saber Tooth Tiger animal spirit, though be warned, you shall also gain the instincts of one and your personality, demeaner, and aura will be that of an alpha male Saber Tooth Tiger. And as for why I chose you and how you are going to go about spreading my name, that is simple, you are the first human in the past 10 years since I have awoken from my several millenia long sleep that has the spirit of a warrior, great potential, and born from within my lands. Now decide quickly cub, for you do not have much time left."

"Huh" Sokka said confusedly causing White Shadow to sigh and say "I cannot revive, heal, and bless you if your body is naught but ashes cub" "Oh" there was silence for a few minutes before Sokka said firmly while looking straight into White Shadow's eyes, causing him to grin widely thus showcasing his large sharp fangs "I'll do it". "Excellent now stick out your arm, I will need to bite it in order to both infuse you with my blessing as well as leave my mark on you as my chosen, then we need to head over to your body so I can revive it, shove you in it, and heal you. Although I must warn you, all of this is going to hurt even more than when you were killed." Shaking slightly in fear of the promised oncoming pain, Sokka strengthened his will and extended his right arm towards White Shadow without ever breaking eye contact, earing a nod of respect from the spirit, and then his world exploded in pain once White Shadow bit his arm and channeled his power into his spirit causing Sokka to scream loudly.

Eventually after what felt like hours but was only minutes, the pain subsided and Sokka eventually gathered himself once more and checked his arm, seeing what looked like an extremely beautiful and life like tattoo of White Shadow on his arm. "Hurry cub, they are almost done with their ceremony and are about to cremate your body" the spirit said calmly, causing Sokka to whip his head around towards the middle of the village where the entire tribe has gathered, before sprinting towards the huge bonfire where he knew his body would be, with White Shadow folling leisurely only a few paces behind. Once they arrived to where Sokka's body was, they saw Hakoda just finishing the ceremony and was getting ready to send Sokka's body into the flames when without any warning White Shadow sped up and forced Sokka to enter his body with a blast of his power, reviving him and starting the healing process, causing Sokka's world to once more explode into a world of pain worse than anything he has felt.

To everybody else, it seemed like a huge force has all of a sudden appeared in there presence causing them to freeze, before Sokka's body jolting upright and screaming a blood curtling scream broke shocked them into moving away from him, looking on in awe as an image of a Saber Tooth Tiger animal spirit roaring above Sokka's body, wreathed in a corona of spiritual power but quickly went away, just as Sokka's body stopped healing and changing. Stunned silence was all there was except for the pain filled groans and moans coming from a changed Sokka, a changed Sokka who was now alive, completely healed, and looked taller, more muscular, and definetly much more animalistic yet somehow regal. Eventually Katara broke out of her trace and ran towards Sokka screaming "SOKKA!" with love, happiness, and most of all, joy and releife, causing the rest of the village to break out of their shock in time to see Katara throw herself onto a just now recovering Sokka in happiness, crying with happy tears.


End file.
